Jewish groups condemn ADL's Mamdani Monitor as 'blatant Islamophobia'

A coalition of Jewish groups has condemned the pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for creating the so-called Mamdani Monitor, calling it a "blatantly Islamophobic" and racist targeting of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

The coalition released a letter on Tuesday criticising the move, saying that the project “undermines the shared fight against antisemitism and Islamophobia in New York City”.

"NYC Jewish communities repudiate the ADL's blatant Islamophobia: You won't divide us from our neighbors. We congratulate mayor-elect Zohran K. Mamdani on his election and applaud his vision for 'a New York City that is free from hate violence'," the letter continues. 

Shortly after Mamdani's election victory, the ADL announced its intention to track and monitor New York City's first Muslim mayor’s policies and personnel appointments, which they say might impact the safety and security of the Jewish community.

The ADL also said it was setting up a citywide tip line for people to report antisemitic incidents in New York City. According to the group, the tipline would serve as a “hyper-focused resource for New Yorkers to report antisemitic incidents in the city, including on the streets, in schools, in their workplace”.

At the time of writing, the signatories of the letter comprised IfNotNow; IfNotNow NYC; Bend the Arc: Jewish Action; New York Jewish Agenda; J Street NYC; Jews for Racial & Economic Justice; T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights; Malkhut; Partners for Progressive Israel; Rabbis for Ceasefire; Temenos Center for the Arts; The American Council for Judaism; and The Workers Circle: Jewish Culture for a Just World.

Pledge to combat hate

The coalition pledged to work with Mamdani and rejected the ADL's claim that it represents all people of Jewish faith. 

“Regardless of how we voted or what our views are on Israel and Palestine, we stand firmly against the Islamophobic and racist attacks from the institutions claiming to represent our communities,” the letter continues, adding that “Together, we can help build a city grounded in justice, dignity, and care for every New Yorker.” 

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action also started a petition called, "American Jews reject the ADL’s racist “Mamdani Monitor".

“We reject false accusations of antisemitism against Black, brown, and Muslim progressive champions who are fighting for a country where all of us can thrive, the group wrote in the petition. 

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“Zohran Mamdani has worked and prayed alongside Jewish New Yorkers, made major policy commitments to Jewish safety, and promised to protect, celebrate, and cherish our community”.

Mamdani has been critical of Israel over its occupation of Palestine and its genocide in war-torn Gaza, where over 69,000 Palestinians have been killed. The United Nations has recognised the war on the enclave as a genocide.

He also said he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - per the International Criminal Court warrant - if he visited New York, but later walked back the claim.

Mamdani's campaign team includes Jewish members in prominent positions. He reached out to and visited Jewish communities during his campaign, earning endorsements from several Jewish groups and a prominent Orthodox rabbi.

During his election speech, he vowed to fight “the scourge of antisemitism”. 

Criticism of ADL

In a statement last week, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said: “Mayor-Elect Mamdani has promoted antisemitic narratives, associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism, and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state that is counter to the views of the overwhelming majority of Jewish New Yorkers.”

Greenblatt added that those "individuals and principles" could have an influence on his administration.

Pro-Palestinian groups have long denounced the ADL for describing Palestinian rights movements and anti-Zionism as being antisemitic, and for conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

The organisation has also, in the past, worked with US law enforcement to spy on and target Arab-American groups and has facilitated and funded US police training trips to Israel.

The tracker was met with widespread backlash from other communities as well.

Kenneth Roth, the former head of Human Rights Watch, called the move on social media “Awful scaremongering from an organization that pretends to fight racism in all forms but really defends Israel”.

“Why does Mamdani need special monitoring? Because he is Muslim? Because he criticizes Israel for such things as its genocide?” Roth wrote.

After the tracker was met with backlash, Greenblatt later released a video, defending the tracker, saying it would also share positive news “if the new administration does great things to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe and to make them feel welcome”.